Turnarounds
by moonswirl
Summary: E/L - Post-Unveiling, couple troubles and pleasantries ahead. Starts with Ephram consoling Amy after Colin dumps her, then it ends up in a whole other place.
1. Realizing

Turnarounds  
by moonswirl  
  
Disclaimer: It's not mine, alright? Alright.  
Rating: G as far as I know, PG to be safe.  
Summary: E/L - Post-Unveiling, couple troubles and pleasantries ahead. Starts with Ephram consoling Amy after Colin dumps her, then it ends up in a whole other place.  
Pairings: Goes around the lot, Colin/Amy, Ephram/Amy, but it's a Ephram/Laynie fic, so guess where it's all leading ;)  
A/N: This is for the people at the Ephram/Laynie thread over at f4f :) Reviews are much appreciated.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Ephram walked into Mama Joy's and up to the counter. Nina came up to him. "Ephram, your order's not quite ready yet but it shouldn't take long."  
  
"Alright," he nodded. Nina leaned forward.  
  
"While you're waiting, I was hoping you could do something for me," she whispered.  
  
"What's that?" Ephram whispered back. Nina nodded toward the back of the diner. Ephram turned and spotted Amy sitting in one of the booths, crying into a plate of fries and a coke. Ephram turned back to Nina. "What happened?"  
  
"She wouldn't tell me. Can you talk to her?"  
  
"Sure, of course."  
  
"Thanks, Ephram." He nodded to her and made his way to the back slow and careful.  
  
"Amy?" he asked softly. She looked up mid-sniffle. When she saw it was him, she turned away slightly, not wanting him to see her this way.  
  
"Hey Ephram." He sat across from her.  
  
"What's going on? Did something happen to you?" Suddenly she looked at him... and she laughed.  
  
"You know, it's the funniest thing. I went to see Colin today, and you know what he told me?" Knowing a wisecrack wouldn't have been the most appropriate at the moment, he kept quiet. "H-He broke up with me." She was still laughing, playing with her fries. Ephram looked down.  
  
"I'm sorry," he told her.  
  
"No you're not," she immediately responded. He looked at her. She sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like..."  
  
"Don't worry about it." She stopped laughing, the waterworks opening again in full force. Ephram stood and went to sit on her side, putting his arms around her. She welcomed the gesture, burrying her head in his shoulder.  
  
"It just can't be happening..." he managed to understand her say. He didn't know what to do. On one side he was happy, because now she was single, he might have a chance... but at what price?  
*Two weeks later*  
  
Ephram sneaked in as quiet as he could. Odds are his father would be waiting for him, but it didn't mean he wouldn't take the chance. He'd been out a little later than he should have, but it didn't matter, not when it had been time spent with Amy.  
  
"Lovely night, isn't it?" he heard as he tiptoed to the stairs. The lights in the living room came on. He was busted alright. He went to the room where his father sat with a book, dressed in his nightclothes.  
  
"Forgot what time it was," he explained.  
  
"Did you now," Andy started, nodding his head, "Where were you?" There was a hint of a smile on Ephram's face.  
  
"A date..."  
  
"Ah, I see. And who was the lucky lady?" Just by the look on his face, it was obvious. "Would the lady happen to have the initials 'A.A.'?"  
  
"Goodnight," Ephram told him before heading to his room.  
  
This had been their third date in that many nights. Her first week back among the singles had been rough, but he'd helped her through it. And then surprise of surprises, she'd asked him out. The first date had been a dream. The second had been better because the buzz of 'wow first date' had worn off, though he was starting to get a feeling that something was off. He figured it was because she was still getting over Colin. It took until that night to realize maybe she wasn't the one trying to get over someone.  
  
It wasn't possible. He'd waited for this for so long, he'd been so sure that it was all great, all fine. And now a single errant thought was putting everything in question. He decided to put it aside and go to bed.  
  
But he couldn't sleep. The thought kept coming back at him, poking at his sides refusing to be ignored. Hours later, still awake, he looked at the clock. It flashed brightly announcing it was 5:30. With a sigh, he got up. Still in the clothes from the night before, he headed out, careful not to wake his father and Delia.  
  
He wandered around for some time, unsure of where to go or what to do. It was still hours before he had to go to school, and he doubted anyone would be around to chat him up.  
  
Finding his way into the middle of town, the thought continued to tease him in a new way. There was the station, his father's office, where they'd first met. The post office and the street where they'd walked and talked together. This was driving him insane. He had to do something... but what? He knew what he had to do deep down, but he just needed a push. He decided to make sure he couldn't back down.  
  
He took off running for the Hart home. Climbing up the side of the house, he went and knocked on Colin's window. He looked around, making sure no one had seen him. He knocked again and eventually Colin peaked his head through the curtains, looking all kinds of asleep. Ephram motionned for him to open the window, which Colin eventually did.  
  
"What's going on?" he asked and yawned.  
  
"I know this is weird..." Ephram started.  
  
"No, it's alright. I always have guys climbing up to my window at 5:30 in the morning." He laughed, though he could barely keep his eyes open. "What do you want?"  
  
"I need to know the name and location of the boarding school Laynie goes to."  
  
"What do you need that for?"  
  
"I... I have to send her something."  
  
"Yeah, okay..." he walked to his desk and wrote down the information as best he could, then went and gave the slip of paper to Ephram.  
  
"Thanks," he started back down to the ground.  
  
"Sure, whatever..." he closed the window and crashed back into bed. He probably wouldn't even remember when he woke up again, and in a way it was better that way.  
  
He headed back home and went into his room. He packed up a few things, grabbed some money and left a note on the kitchen table.  
  
'Went to see a friend, be back in a couple days. I'll call when I get there, Ephram.' 


	2. Escaping

Turnarounds  
By moonswirl  
  
Disclaimer: It's not mine, alright? Alright.  
Rating: G as far as I know, PG to be safe.  
Summary: E/L - Post-Unveiling, couple troubles and pleasantries ahead. Starts with Ephram consoling Amy after Colin dumps her, then it ends up in a whole other place.  
Pairings: Goes around the lot, Colin/Amy, Ephram/Amy, but it's a Ephram/Laynie fic, so guess where it's all leading ;)  
A/N: This is for the people at the Ephram/Laynie thread over at f4f :) Reviews are much appreciated.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Class ended at last and Laynie packed up her things and walked out into the hall. Her friend Claire caught up with her. "Hey wait up!" They weren't the best of friends, but they some points in common had put them together more than once.  
  
"Waiting," she told her as she waited to let her get in step with her.  
  
"I think Mr. Talbot has broken his own record for how fast he can put students to sleep."  
  
"No kidding, they should just stick coffee pots on all the desks."  
  
"And another test tomorrow," Claire huffed. "I'm gonna go study at the library, wanna come?"  
  
"I guess. Just let me drop by my room to change, I'll meet you there."  
  
"Okay." They split up and Laynie walked the all too familiar path to her room. She'd been glad to be back in some ways, but in others she missed Everwood. She knew it would be better this way, but it didn't make it any easier.  
  
She walked into her room and closed the door. She changed quickly enough and she grabbed her bag. She went to the library and sat with Claire. They began studying in silence.  
  
It took some time before she got that feeling, like someone was watching her. She looked around... nothing. She shook it off and turned back to her book. But the feeling returned. She looked up again, saw nothing again. She sighed and tried to focus again.  
  
"What's wrong?" Claire asked. Laynie looked at her.  
  
"Nothing..." she started, but then she saw it. There was someone outside the window, said someone moving out of view. But she'd seen him now, she wasn't imagining things. "I forgot a book in my room, I'm gonna go get it alright?"  
  
"Sure," Claire told her.  
  
She walked out of the library and put on a straight face, so not to alert anyone. Walking out of the school, she jogged to the side of the building and peeked her head around the corner. She saw a guy looking into the window ahead. He had his back turned, but this being an all-girl school she didn't have to think whether he belonged there or not.  
  
Laynie tiptoed over to the peeper and put a hand on his shoulder. He spun around and knocked her over, but he reached out and took hold of her hands before she could hit the ground. And in that awkward position, she finally got to see who it was.  
  
"Ephram?" He helped her get back up properly.  
  
"Are you okay?" She couldn't even say anything. Part of it because she might have said something harsh, the other because the thought suddenly came to her that they might be caught standing there and they'd both be in trouble.  
  
"Follow me," she told him and she took off down the side of the building. They arrived to a door and she stopped him. She looked inside and, when the coast was clear, she pulled him along. A few minutes later, they were up in her room. She locked the door and turned to him. "What are you doing here?"  
  
He'd thought about it the whole ride over, and in the end he had it memorized. But now, he didn't remember a word of it. "I don't think 'I was in the neighborhood' is going to work." She shook her head. "Alright, but you have to promise to let me finish before saying anything."  
  
"Not saying anything to make me feel any better about this," Laynie told him.  
  
"Okay, well you may or may not know, but Colin and Amy..."  
  
"Broke up, I know. He told me. Also told me you've been going out with Amy."  
  
"Yeah, and that's just the thing. It was all great at first, but then last night when I came home I realized it wasn't right. As much as I'd convinced myself I wanted to be with her... it wasn't the case."  
  
"What?" she asked with a sigh.  
  
"I guess what I'm trying to say is... I missed you. More than you could imagine." She lifted her head from its tilted position, looking at him. Before she could say anything though, there was a knock at the door.  
  
"Miss Hart?" she heard. Ephram opened his mouth to say something, but she put her hand up in front of his mouth.  
  
"Yes?" she answered.  
  
"May I speak with you for a moment?"  
  
"Just a minute!" She pushed Ephram into her closet and quietly closed the door. She brushed at her clothes to straighten them up and went to let the woman in. "What can I do for you?"  
  
"Miss Cochran said you left in a hurry and hadn't returned. She was worried, so I came to see if you were alright."  
  
"I'm fine," she answered quickly. That got the woman's attention. Sister Agnes was a pain in the butts of most of the girls at the school, always putting her nose where it didn't belong. She was the last person Laynie wanted in her room at the moment.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes!" There was a small noise in the closet and Sister Agnes looked at the door. Laynie shut her eyes and hoped she'd let it go. But she didn't, reaching for the handle. "Wait!" It was too late and she pulled the door open. Ephram was down on his knees, the noise being when he'd fallen. He looked up at the sour-faced woman.  
  
"Hello." Sister Agnes turned to Laynie.  
  
"I'm getting security." She stomped out and Laynie turned to Ephram, hoping he had an idea of what to do. He got up and went to stand by her.  
  
"Let's just get out of here!"  
  
"I can't do that."  
  
"Sure you can."  
  
"Go where?"  
  
"Anywhere... What about New York?" She looked at him for a second, and then went to the closet. She took a backpack and stuffed some stuff into it. She stood on her bed and opened the window.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
He went to help her get out and followed. He closed the window behind him and looked to Laynie. She was already climbing down the emergency stairs nearby. He followed suit and took off running as soon as his feet had hit the ground.  
  
This was her territory, so he let her lead the way. They sneaked across the grounds and scaled the gate. He went first, jumping down when he'd reached the top, catching her when she jumped afterward.  
  
They ran toward the bus station, ran and didn't look back. They were practically grinning, cheeks red from the exercise and weather. The escape was a rush, enough to keep them in motion the whole way to the station before collapsing on the benches there to catch their breaths. 


	3. Message from me!

Message from moonswirl on "turnarounds"  
  
Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated in a while. I'm having problems with the next chapter, in the form that I've never been to New York, at least not enough to know places. So now I'm asking help...  
  
I need someone who either lives there or knows it enough to be able to talk about some locations, places Ephram will take Laynie... If you can help, let me know (and leave me a way to reach you). I'll be forever greatful :)  
  
moonie 


End file.
